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BASEBALL; Yanks Ready Itinerary For Two Journeymen

The Yankees lost twice at Wrigley Field last weekend, and there was an obvious goat in each nationally televised game. On Saturday, Juan Acevedo served up a three-run homer to spoil Roger Clemens's chance at his 300th victory. On Sunday, Charles Gipson was picked off first base for the final out in a one-run loss.

For Acevedo and Gipson, it was not the first time they had failed. In the Yankees' world, they are unlikely to get another chance. George Steinbrenner, the team's principal owner, has no tolerance for losing, and Acevedo and Gipson could be released, demoted or traded.

Steinbrenner is in New York, and although General Manager Brian Cashman did not meet with him yesterday, he spoke with him several times. Cashman did not single out Acevedo or Gipson, but he was clearly referring to them when he spoke strongly in a telephone interview.

''There are some guys on this club that obviously need to be consistent in their performance, or they're just not going to be here for long,'' Cashman said. ''If you can't perform at a high level consistently, you're not going to be here too long. Anybody that falls into that category needs to step up.

''Over all, there are a lot of things right now that are not clicking. You definitely wouldn't want to blame it on one or two individual players. But generally, that's one thing I can say. I know people put forth their best effort, but you're judged at a high standard here. It's my job to decide when it's time to make a change and to move someone on. That's not a warning, just a general fact of life as a Yankee.''

These days, life as a Yankee is especially uncomfortable. The team is in second place in the American League East, a half-game behind Boston, and is coming off a trip with a 4-5 record. The Yankees have gone 15-23 since April 27, and their franchise-best 20-4 start is a distant memory. As Mike Mussina said last week, ''We're just not the same team we were then.''

Steinbrenner has tried to shake the Yankees from their slumber. He said publicly that he wanted José Contreras in the rotation, and Manager Joe Torre soon put him in. Last Tuesday in Cincinnati, after years of deliberation, Steinbrenner finally named Derek Jeter captain, saying that Jeter would assist Torre in leadership responsibilities. Last Friday, a veteran switch-hitter, Ruben Sierra, was added to the bench.

Acevedo and Gipson are journeymen, and cutting them loose would be more symbolic than it would be a way to markedly improve the club.

Cashman has been trying for weeks to trade Acevedo (0-3), who has a 7.71 earned run average in 25 appearances and has struggled to keep his pitches down for six weeks. The Yankees prefer to make trades well in advance of the July 31 deadline, but the supply of available players will only increase as teams fall out of contention.

Cashman has been exploring deals for relievers, with no success. He is, he said, content to wait.

''There's always pressure,'' Cashman said. ''But if we make a move, we want to make a move that makes sense right now. We don't want to burn a prospect and make the wrong move. The players being offered to me now don't significantly improve us.''

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If the Yankees part ways with Acevedo, they could replace him immediately with a veteran right-hander from Class AAA Columbus like Willie Banks or Al Reyes. Another veteran, Rolando Arrojo, is suspended from the team and has returned home, Cashman said, without specifying a reason.

Gipson was cut by the Cubs in spring training and joined the Yankees in late April. He has played in 12 games, appearing seven times as a pinch-runner, and was also picked off by Angels catcher Bengie Molina in the seventh inning of a tie game on May 14. The Yankees went on to lose.

Despite the missteps last week, there were positives from the trip. Jason Giambi hit .333 with six home runs. In the five games since Torre dropped Hideki Matsui to seventh in the batting order, Matsui has gone 10 for 17 with seven extra-base hits, including two homers.

Matsui is finally adjusting to the cutters and two-seam fastballs that are common in the majors, and he is approaching his at-bats with more confidence.

''Early in the year, I was focused too much on seeing the ball and taking pitches, rather than swinging the bat,'' Matsui said through an interpreter on Sunday. ''Now, I'm taking a more aggressive stance and swinging at a good pitch.''

Contreras made two solid starts on the trip, winning both, and David Wells ambles along as the Yankees' steadiest starter, with a team-leading eight victories.

But Mussina has lost his last four decisions, Andy Pettitte has dropped five of six, and Clemens has failed in three attempts to win his 300th game. Then there is the bullpen. Torre seems comfortable using only two relievers, Antonio Osuna and Chris Hammond, in important setup situations.

''I was starting to feel pretty good about it,'' the pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre said Sunday, referring to the bullpen. ''The only concern I have about our bullpen has been that our success with that first man hasn't been real good. That's such a key thing for a bullpen to be successful.''

Against the first batter they face in a game, Yankee relievers have gotten an out only 82 of 131 times. Acevedo is the worst offender, with only 12 first batters retired in 25 chances. Now, in Steinbrenner's high-pressured universe, Acevedo may have run out of chances.